Ethiopia

Country name: conventional long form: Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
conventional short form: Ethiopia
local long form: Ityop'iya Federalawi Demokrasiyawi Ripeblik
local short form: Ityop'iya
former: Abyssinia, Italian East Africa
abbreviation: FDRE

Capital: name: Addis Ababa
geographic coordinates: 9 02 N, 38 42 E
time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Government type: federal republic

Location	Eastern Africa, west of Somalia
Geographic coordinates	8 00 N, 38 00 E
Map references	Africa
Area	total: 1,104,300 sq km land: 1 million sq km water: 104,300 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Land boundaries	total: 5,328 km border countries: Djibouti 349 km, Eritrea 912 km, Kenya 861 km, Somalia 1,600 km, South Sudan 837 km, Sudan 769 km
Coastline	0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims	none (landlocked)
Climate	tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation
Terrain	high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great Rift Valley
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Danakil Depression -125 m highest point: Ras Dejen 4,533 m
Natural resources	small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash, natural gas, hydropower
Land use	arable land: 10.01% permanent crops: 0.65% other: 89.34% (2005)
Irrigated land	2,900 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources	110 cu km (1987)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)	total: 5.56 cu km/yr (6%/0%/94%) per capita: 72 cu m/yr (2002)
Natural hazards	geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; frequent droughts volcanism: volcanic activity in the Great Rift Valley; Erta Ale (elev. 613 m), which has caused frequent lava flows in recent years, is the country's most active volcano; Dabbahu became active in 2005, causing evacuations; other historically active volcanoes include Alayta, Dalaffilla, Dallol, Dama Ali, Fentale, Kone, Manda Hararo, and Manda-Inakir
Environment - current issues	deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water shortages in some areas from water-intensive farming and poor management
Environment - international agreements	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea
Geography - note	landlocked - entire coastline along the Red Sea was lost with the de jure independence of Eritrea on 24 May 1993; the Blue Nile, the chief headstream of the Nile by water volume, rises in T'ana Hayk (Lake Tana) in northwest Ethiopia; three major crops are believed to have originated in Ethiopia: coffee, grain sorghum, and castor bean